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Gith culture

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Drecon84
Apr 18, 2011 17:52:08 Hello everybody,

I'm currently making a new character for a dark sun campaign. I really wanted to play a Githzerai Druid and my DM ruled that I could play it as a Gith with the same stats as a Githzerai.

I was fine with that and mostly still am (these guys are pretty ugly but they are cool).

The problems started when I tried to get some background on these guys. Problem is, there hardly is any. All I could find is that these guys are savage tribal creatures that wander in groups through the desert. I was hoping for a little more.

Any people here know of some good sources for Gith culture? I'm fine with making stuff up myself (or more probably together with my DM) but if there's stuff out there it's a lot easier.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
#2
angelus_obscura
Apr 18, 2011 20:21:42 From what I remember, the only Dark Sun resource on the gith (yanki and zerai) are in a 2e box set adventure called Black Spine. If you search around online, I'm sure you can find it. The gist is ...

According to the book, long ago during the Green Age, Athas was one of many contested planets in the interplanar war between the githyanki and githzerai. The githyanki made settlements deep under Athas (including the Black Spine mountains) and used it to stage their wars behind Athas's natural protection vs planar magic. When the githzerai found them, the zerai bombarded Athas with an experimental psionic bomb called a "psionic devastator" that reduced the yanki into the near-idiocy and savagery they are today.

For your character's background, I would suggest making him a genetic "reincarnation" of a zerai by birth. Both the yanki and zerai share a common ancestor so it's not impossible to make this happen. Infused with the wisdom and foresight of the pre-psi-blasted ancestors, he could become a "point of light" in the gith's degenerate natures. Just throwing that out there. Hope that helps. :D
#3
siromega
Apr 19, 2011 16:06:06 Also the Athasian GIth(yanki, really) are looking for the silver craft that left them on Athas, let your DM know, could be a unique adventure to go look for a crashed alien ship in the middle of the inhospitable wastes... well unless you've played Fallout lmao
#4
Drecon84
Apr 20, 2011 6:18:56 Thank you both. There's some good ideas in there and I think I can craft a nice background story around some of the ideas.
Any other stuff is still appreciated, especailly around things like Gith customs and mannerisms.
#5
tentagil
Apr 21, 2011 23:13:25 Well the Githyanki and Githzerai are inspired by alot of eastern culture and philosophy, so I'd play an Athasian Gith as a more barbaric/savage version of that.

Ancestor worship would be big, perhaps he sees the elements as his ancestor's spirits. A strong sense of honor would be fairly typical, as would a fair amount of formality and tendancy to be easily insulted, though with the more savage bent that would likely mean violent tendancies whenever he feels insulted. Pretty much as Gith I'd give him the occasional violent out burst just as a general personality quirk.

#6
mgbeach
Apr 30, 2011 6:51:54
Well the Githyanki and Githzerai are inspired by alot of eastern culture and philosophy, so I'd play an Athasian Gith as a more barbaric/savage version of that.

Ancestor worship would be big, perhaps he sees the elements as his ancestor's spirits. A strong sense of honor would be fairly typical, as would a fair amount of formality and tendancy to be easily insulted, though with the more savage bent that would likely mean violent tendancies whenever he feels insulted. Pretty much as Gith I'd give him the occasional violent out burst just as a general personality quirk.

That's a good call. I think you would do well to play them like the Dothraki in Song of Ice and Fire.

They are the remnants of a highly advanced race that had to go back to basics long ago when they became stranded in a savage land. Only the hardest survived, and those survivalist tendancies would have been selected for over the generations.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Drecon84 Apr 18, 2011 17:52:08	Hello everybody, I'm currently making a new character for a dark sun campaign. I really wanted to play a Githzerai Druid and my DM ruled that I could play it as a Gith with the same stats as a Githzerai. I was fine with that and mostly still am (these guys are pretty ugly but they are cool). The problems started when I tried to get some background on these guys. Problem is, there hardly is any. All I could find is that these guys are savage tribal creatures that wander in groups through the desert. I was hoping for a little more. Any people here know of some good sources for Gith culture? I'm fine with making stuff up myself (or more probably together with my DM) but if there's stuff out there it's a lot easier. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
#2 angelus_obscura Apr 18, 2011 20:21:42	From what I remember, the only Dark Sun resource on the gith (yanki and zerai) are in a 2e box set adventure called Black Spine. If you search around online, I'm sure you can find it. The gist is ... According to the book, long ago during the Green Age, Athas was one of many contested planets in the interplanar war between the githyanki and githzerai. The githyanki made settlements deep under Athas (including the Black Spine mountains) and used it to stage their wars behind Athas's natural protection vs planar magic. When the githzerai found them, the zerai bombarded Athas with an experimental psionic bomb called a "psionic devastator" that reduced the yanki into the near-idiocy and savagery they are today. For your character's background, I would suggest making him a genetic "reincarnation" of a zerai by birth. Both the yanki and zerai share a common ancestor so it's not impossible to make this happen. Infused with the wisdom and foresight of the pre-psi-blasted ancestors, he could become a "point of light" in the gith's degenerate natures. Just throwing that out there. Hope that helps. :D
#3 siromega Apr 19, 2011 16:06:06	Also the Athasian GIth(yanki, really) are looking for the silver craft that left them on Athas, let your DM know, could be a unique adventure to go look for a crashed alien ship in the middle of the inhospitable wastes... well unless you've played Fallout lmao
#4 Drecon84 Apr 20, 2011 6:18:56	Thank you both. There's some good ideas in there and I think I can craft a nice background story around some of the ideas. Any other stuff is still appreciated, especailly around things like Gith customs and mannerisms.
#5 tentagil Apr 21, 2011 23:13:25	Well the Githyanki and Githzerai are inspired by alot of eastern culture and philosophy, so I'd play an Athasian Gith as a more barbaric/savage version of that. Ancestor worship would be big, perhaps he sees the elements as his ancestor's spirits. A strong sense of honor would be fairly typical, as would a fair amount of formality and tendancy to be easily insulted, though with the more savage bent that would likely mean violent tendancies whenever he feels insulted. Pretty much as Gith I'd give him the occasional violent out burst just as a general personality quirk.
#6 mgbeach Apr 30, 2011 6:51:54	Well the Githyanki and Githzerai are inspired by alot of eastern culture and philosophy, so I'd play an Athasian Gith as a more barbaric/savage version of that. Ancestor worship would be big, perhaps he sees the elements as his ancestor's spirits. A strong sense of honor would be fairly typical, as would a fair amount of formality and tendancy to be easily insulted, though with the more savage bent that would likely mean violent tendancies whenever he feels insulted. Pretty much as Gith I'd give him the occasional violent out burst just as a general personality quirk. That's a good call. I think you would do well to play them like the Dothraki in Song of Ice and Fire. They are the remnants of a highly advanced race that had to go back to basics long ago when they became stranded in a savage land. Only the hardest survived, and those survivalist tendancies would have been selected for over the generations.